jordan



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

0. M. JORDAN.

ELECTRIC CURRENT REGULATOR.

No. 536,530. Patented Mar. 26,1895.

INVENTOR WITNESSES (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2. G. M. JORDAN. ELECTRICCURRENT REGULATOR.

No. 536,530. Patented Mar. 26, 1895.

INVENTOR WITNESSES m: norms PETERS co. mom-umovv msamsmw, n c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES M. JORDAN, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ELECTRIC-CURRENT REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,530, dated March26, 1895. Application filed February 13,1895. gerial No. 538,249. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. JORDAN, of Washington, in the District ofColumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric-Current Regulators; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and useit, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to the method and apparatus for regulating eithercontinuous or alternating electric current circuits.

The primary object of my invention is to provide motors, one driven by acircuit not subject to the fluctuations of the working circuit, and theother subject to the fluctuations of the working circuit, the two motorsoperating in opposition to each other for moving or controlling anelectric current regnlator within the working circuit.

Another part of my invention relates to the construction of the movingpart of the apparatus which is based upon a well known principle ofkinematics and is applied by the action of two wheels or disks movablearound axes approximately at: right angles to each other, on a spherefree to move in all directions by which the sphere will take on acombined motion around a third horizontal axis, forming a certain anglewith each of the two others. The velocity of the rotation of the spherewill depend upon the absolute velocity of the two motions, but thedirection of its axis will depend upon their relative velocity.

Another feature of my invention consists in the introduction in thecircuit of two motors, the field and armature of onebeing acted upon bythe constant strength of current, while in the other the armature ismade to carry the current of constant strength, the field being excitedby the current which varies with consumption.

In the drawings I have illustrated the regulator as connected up in themanner preferable when it is to be employed for controlling theconsumption of energy on a continuous circuit, although the mechanicalfeatures and constructions hereinafter described, are applicable toalternating currents as well.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is

a perspective or isometrical projection of an automatic regulator. Fig.2 is a sectional view of the satellite wheel, its arm and verticalshaft, with the gear wheels and arm acting on the segments of theresistance coils. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is aplan view of the segment and lever connected therewith, also thesegmental gearwheel attached to the bottom of the vertical shaft.

Referring now to the drawings, A is a metal sphere which is placed uponand supported by the small wheel B, the disks C and D and the small ballE said ball being held in a receptacle in the standard F, and is free tomove in any direction, it serving solely for maintaining the sphere A inplace, while the disks C and D communicate motion to it.

The disk C is attached to the shaft Gr of the armature H of the motor I,said motor being in a branch circuit 1) and b of high resistance acrossthe mains a and a as indicated, so that it will be traversed by acurrent con stant in amount.

The disk D is attached to the shaft Jof the armature K of the motor L.The said armature K is in the same branch I) and l) of high resistanceas the field and armature of the motor I, while the field exciting coilsof the motor L are included in the main electric circuit with thetranslating devices, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the strength of thefield will vary with the consumption of energy on the circuit.

M is an artificial resistance in the circuit of the motor I, and thearmature K of the motor L.

The disk C, actuated by the motor Lgives a rotation of uniformity to thesphere A, while the rotation of disk D, actuated by motor L, isdependent upon the consumption of enorgy in the circuit a and a, anddeflects the instantaneous axis of rotation of the sphere A at a pointbetween said disk, to a degree so much the greater or lesser inproportion as the revolutions of the armatn re K is increased ordiminished by the amount of current passing through the circuit.

A sphere A rests upon the small wheel B, which carries the bulk of itsweight and is free to revolve with it so that the wheel 13 will seek toeconomize work, and will so place itself as to roll over the spherewithout sliding, and its axis will then be parallel with theinstantaneous axis of rotation of the sphere A.

The wheel B is mounted on an arm N (Fig. 2) movable around a verticalaxis 0, placed beneath the center of the sphere A, said arm N resting onthe ball bearings P, to reduce friction.

At the bottom of the shaft or axis 0 is attached a segment or gear-wheelQ (Figs. 2 and 4) which meshes with a smaller gear-wheel R on the shaftS, and to the same shaft is attached an arm T, at the terminal end ofwhich is an arch shaped piece which makes contact with the ringU andsegments V of the resistance coils interposed in the main circuit.

The working parts of the apparatus rest on a sub-base WV while the ringU and segments V rest on the base X.

I will now briefly describe the working of the regulator. The disk 0revolving, but no current passing through the main line to translatingdevices and consequently the disk D being quiet, the sphere A willrevolve in the same plane as the disk 0. The small wheel or satellite Bwill also be in the same plane and the arm T will be on the segment ofthe resistance coils V representing the highest resistance. Vhen thecurrent on the main line is turned into a translating device or devicesthe current passing through the field coils of the motor L will set thedisk in motion and the plane of revolution of the sphere A will bechanged to a point between and representing the mean of the velocitiesof the disks 0 and D. At the same time the small wheel B will move tothe same plane and turn the arm T to a segment representing lessresistance and so on as more current is turned on. In turning offcurrent the reverse of this will take place, the disk D will graduallyrevolve slower, the sphere A gradually approach the plane of revolutionof the disk 0 the wheel 13 also, and the arm turn to segmentsrepresenting greater resistance.

It is obvious that the resistance V could consistently be placed in thefield magnet circuit of the dynamo if circumstances so dictated.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The method of controlling electric currents, consisting in driving amotor subject to the fluctuations of the controlled current, driving amotor not subject to the fluctuations of said current, and in causingsaid motors to act upon a current controlling device in angularlydisplaced relation, whereby the movement of the controller is conformedto the resultant action of said motors.

2. The method of controlling electric working currents, consisting indriving a motor at approximately a uniform speed, driving a motor atvarying speeds according to the fiuctuationsin intensity of thecontrolled current and in causing said motors to act in opposition upona current controlling device, whereby the movement of the controller isconformed to the resultant action of said motors.

3. The method of controlling electric currents, consisting in driving amotor subject to the fluctuations of the controlled current, driving amotor by a shunt circuit of a predetermined fixed intensity or strength,deriving said shunt current from the controlled circuit, and in causingsaid motors to act in opposition upon a current controller, whereby themovement of the controller is conformed to the resultant action of saidmotors.

l. An electric current controller or regulator comprising a motor drivenat approximately a uniform speed, a motor driven at varying speedsaccording to the intensity or strength of the working circuit orcurrent, a current controller within the working circuit, and adifferential mechanism for operating the current controller which isdriven by the said motors.

5. An electric current controller or regulator comprising a motor withina branch or shunt circuit of high resistance whereby it is driven atapproximatelya predetermined uniform speed, and a motor within driven byand subject to the fluctuations of the working circuit, the currentregulator or controller within the working circuit, and a differentialmechanism between the current regulator and the said motors, the saiddifferential mechanism being driven by the motors.

6. An electric regulator or controller for working circuits, comprisingin the working or main circuit a branch or shunt circuit, a highresistance within the branch or shunt circuit, a motor within and drivenby the said shunt or branch circuit, a motor within and driven by andsubject to the fluctuations of the working circuit, a currentcontroller, and a differential mechanism operated by and between themotors, and a current controller.

7. A current regulator or controller forworkingcircuits,comprisingabranch orshunt circuit deriving its currentfrom the working circuit. and having a current of a pro-determined fixedstrength of intensity a motor within and driven by said branch or shuntcircuit, a current regulator or controller with the working circuit, amotor within driven by and subject to the fluctuations of the workingcircuit, and a differential mechanism driven by and between the saidmotors and the current regulators.

8. An electric regulator or controller for working circuits comprising abranch or shunt circuit receiving its current from the working circuit,a high resistance within the shunt or branch circuit, a motor whollywithin the branch or shunt circuit and operated thereby at anapproximately pre -determined fixed speed, a current controller orregulator within the working circuit, and a motor having its armaturewithin one circuit and its field within another circuit, and a mechanismdriven by the motors and between them and the electric regulator orcontroller.

9. An electric regulator or controller for currents, comprising acurrent regulator or controller Within a working circuit, two motorscarrying disks, a sphere freely rotatable in all directions and restingupon said motor disks and the current regulator, the motor disksoperating the sphere for the purpose described.

10. A currentregulator or controller comprising two electricallypropelled motors having disks, the one of said motors being run atapproximately a uniform velocity, and the other at varying velocities,and a sphere freely rotatable in all directions resting upon said motordisks, and the electric controller or regulator whereby the axis of thesphere is shifted to a point between the said disks according to thedifference in velocity of said motors.

11. A current regulator or controller comprising two motors carryingdisks at approximately right angles to each other, a current controllerfor a circuit, and a sphere freely rotatable in all directions driven bythe motors and resting upon them, and engaging the said currentregulator.

12. An electric regulator or controller comprising rotating disks placedat an angle to each other, a sphere resting upon and driven by the saiddisks, and a satellite arm or lever having one end adapted to engage thesaid sphere and its opposite end operating a current controller.

13. A current regulator or controller comprising rotating disksjournaled at right angles to each other, a sphere freely rotatable inall directions partly resting upon and driven by the said disks, avertical shaft journaled below and approximately at the center of thesaid sphere, an outwardly extending arm at the upper end of said shaftcarrying a wheel engaging the said sphere, and an electric regulator orcontroller operatively connected with said vertical shaft.

let. An electric regulator or controller rotating disks journaled at anangle to each other, a sphere resting upon and driven by the said disks,a freely swinging arm orlever adapted to engage and be operated by thesaid sphere, and an electric regulator or controller operativelyconnected to the said arm or lever.

15. An electric current controller comprising a continuously operatingmotor driven at approximately a uniform speed, a continuouslyoperatingmotor driven at various speeds according to the intensity of thecontroller current, and a current controlling device operated by saidcontinuously operating motors.

16. An electric current controller cornprising a motor Within and drivenby and subject to the fluctuations of the controlled circuit, a motorwithin and driven by a shunt circuit of the controlled circuit andhaving an approximately uniform intensity, for the purpose described,and a current controlling device for said controlled circuit operated bysaid motors.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES M. JORDAN.

Witnesses:

A. S. PATTISON, J AMES W. BERAN.

